


A Rose's Thorn

by whatisreggieshortfor



Series: Roses Bleed [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:35:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27262843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatisreggieshortfor/pseuds/whatisreggieshortfor
Series: Roses Bleed [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1990603





	A Rose's Thorn

A Rose’s Thorn

**_Two years earlier..._ **   
_I awoke in the hospital. Looking around the room, I saw Jake sleeping gently beside me, holding my hand. I moved slightly, pain radiating through my body. He jumped out the chair. “Frito! Oh, thank the gods.” I realized he had tears on his cheeks, and I lifted my other arm and motioned for him to come closer. He slowly leaned in and I brushed the tears away before putting my hand on the back of his neck, pulling him into the strongest kiss I could muster. When he pulled away, he took a deep breath. “You’ve been asleep for two weeks. Do you remember anything?”_   
_I opened my mouth, my voice rough. “I remember you showing up. Raiden was trying to get us away. You had a gun and then I fell. That’s all I remember.”_   
_More tears came from Jake’s eyes. He opened his mouth, but his phone rang. “Skye? You guys are downstairs right? She just woke up....yeah, tell mom and dad and get everybody up here...Love you too. Bye.” He ran his hand over my hair, smoothing it out of my face. “We’ll explain everything when the others get here.”_   
_Just a few minutes later everyone was crowding into the small hospital room. Uncle Frank came up beside my mom, “Hey, kiddo. You did good. I know it must’ve been hard but be proud of yourself.”_   
_“What exactly is wrong with me?” I asked, looking over my bandages. My right foot was in a cast, and I remembered tripping over cement stones._   
_Skye gently took my hand. “You went through a lot. Recovery was really touch and go at the beginning. The head injury itself was bad enough but...” Everyone looked at each other, no one wanting to continue._   
_“But what?” I asked._   
_Jake stared at his hands. “I’m sorry.”_   
_“Why?” I looked at everyone’s faces, they all held some kind of pain. Clint held Skye’s other hand, and Vega rested her hand on Jake’s shoulder. “What happened?”_   
_Jake was still crying. “I didn’t have a clear shot.”_   
_I took a deep breath. “So, you shot through me?” He nodded weakly. “Thank you.” Everyone’s head snapped up to look at me. “It was the only way. He was going to cut my throat anyway.” I gently reached up to my shoulder, brushing my fingers along the gauze._   
_“I didn’t want to hurt you.” Jake took my hand and squeezed. A thought crossed my mind._   
_“B-but is he- is he still-“ I realized I was trembling._   
_Jake wrapped his arms around me carefully. “He’s dead. He can’t hurt you anymore.”_

**Now...**  
I gripped Jake’s arm as I looked down at it. Momentarily frozen in place. I could feel his eyes searching my face. I pushed my shoulders back, standing up straight. I marched out the front door. “Come out!” I slowly turned on the sidewalk, watching the surroundings. “I’m not afraid anymore.”  
My dad came up behind Jake. “What’s going-“ He looked down. “Frank! What the hell is happening? Did one of you put this here?” Uncle Frank saw it, drawing the sidearm he always carried, and surveyed the area.  
I watched as Jake bent down and scooped up the flower. The paper flitted in the wind before falling to his hand. He looked at me. “Do you want to read it? We can just throw it away right now.”  
I stepped over to him, taking his hand in mine. “Let’s read it. I’m not afraid.” He opened the note, holding it in front of us. I read it out. “You were told it would rise again.” I looked up into Jake’s face. His golden-brown eyes wet with fresh tears. “It’ll be okay. We have each other.”  
I turned to look out at the street again, my shoulders shivering in my sheer lace sleeves. I felt a weight drop on me and turned to see Jake’s suit jacket falling onto my shoulders. He gently ran his knuckles against my cheek, “I won’t let you out of my sight, babe. This time will be different.” Our friends and family watched us closely, clearly waiting for our next move.  
I smiled at everyone. “Come on. We have a reception to get to.” I took Jake’s hand, his ring a smooth contrast to his calluses from his guitar. “I have a husband to celebrate.” I leaned up and kissed his cheek. He smiled softly at me, concern in his eyes, but he realized I wasn’t going to let this ruin our wedding day. We walked around Circuit Boards to the enclosed patio we reserved in the banquet hall next door.  
Everyone sat down, and by the time they barely finished eating, Vega took the microphone, a wide grin on her face. “It’s time for the bride and groom to have their first dance.”  
She passed me the mic as she moved to the deejay’s table. “A lot of you know that my preferred genre is grunge and punk music. But this is gonna be different. I chose this song, because I think it really understands our relationship. This is Best Friend by Jason Chen.” I smiled at Jake as I put the mic in the stand and joined him on the floor.  
Slowly the words filled the air,  
“ _Do you remember when_  
 _I said I’d always be there_  
 _Ever since we were ten, baby_  
 _When we were out on the playground playing pretend_  
 _I didn't know it back then_  
 _Now I realize you were the only one_  
 _It's never too late to show it_  
 _Grow old together_  
 _Have feelings we had before_  
 _Back when we were so innocent_  
 _I pray for all your love_  
 _Girl our love is so unreal_  
 _I just wanna reach and touch you, squeeze you_  
 _Somebody pinch me (I must be dreamin')_  
 _This is something like a movie_  
 _And I don't know how it ends girl_ ”  
Jake sang the next line as he spun me around. “ _But I fell in love with my best friend_.” As the song ended, I pulled him in and gave him a passionate kiss. His arms tightened around my waist and he pulled back enough to rest his forehead on mine. “I love you.”  
I kissed the tip of his nose. “And I love you.”  
When we broke apart, Vega, Jake, and I took up our instruments and we played through a set of our songs with everything we had. I let the music wash over me, ignoring any anxieties I had about the flower outside the door, ignoring the possibility of any more of them, and focusing on what today was about.  
Hours into the reception, I was walking with Skye to the bathroom when we ran into a cook coming out of the kitchen. “Oh! I’m so sorry.” He turned immediately, trying to get out of our way, but he ran into a waiter carrying a tray of food into the restaurant area and the dishes went everywhere.  
“Oh, no.” I got down on my knees, avoiding the sauces on the floor, and started collecting the broken dishes. “Are you both okay?”  
The cook was receiving a glare from the waiter as he watched me. “Yes, ma’am. But you don’t need to worry yourself with this mess. I’ll clean it up.”  
I smiled at him. “It’s no trouble. My friend and I aren’t in too much of a hurry.” Skye retrieved a broom and dustpan from a nearby cleaning closet and began sweeping up the food. I turned to the waiter, “Can you show me to the table who’s food this was? I’ll explain what happened.” Skye gave me a worried look. “I’ll be right back. I’m not leaving the building.”  
I dropped the broken dishes into a trash can just outside the kitchen and the waiter showed me to a table nearby. “Hello, I’m sorry to interrupt.” The waiter said to the three men.  
The middle-aged man eyed me, “What’s this about?”  
I bowed my head slightly. “I apologize. I was on my way to the bathroom and I ran into your waiter while they were carrying your food. I’ll pay for the meal, I just wanted to let you know myself what happened and that it may take a bit longer than you expected.” I straightened back up, and I realized who one of the sons were. ‘Oh, no.’ I groaned in my head. ‘Why him today?’  
The older man cleared his throat, “Well, that’s no problem at all. Thank you for the heads up, Miss?”  
“Missus.” I smiled. “Gunderson. I’m actually having my wedding reception here tonight.”  
The man returned my smile. “Oh, my, congratulations. If you don’t mind me saying, you look awfully familiar.” He glanced at the men with him.  
The waiter bowed his head, muttering about inputting the order again and disappeared. I turned to the man, “Yes sir, I went to school with this young man.” I pointed at Will at the other end of the table. I smiled again, “But that was years ago. I’m graduating from the local university in just a few months now.”  
“Ah, I remember. You graduated from the high school early, didn’t you? As valedictorian?”  
“Yes sir. I’m on track to graduate top of my class at the university as well.”  
“That’s marvelous, Missus Gunderson.” He looked behind me a moment, “I’ll let you get back to your reception. Looks as though your groom is waiting.”  
I turned to see Jake coming my way, “Yes, well, I will go ahead and make a payment for the food I ruined, and if you need anything else from me tonight, I’m just down the hall.” I dipped my head again as Will continued to glare. I stepped away and Jake came up beside me.  
“Hey, babe, you okay? Skye said something about broken dishes.”  
“Yeah, we were heading to the bathroom when a cook tried to make room in the hall for us. He ran into a waiter and toppled a food tray. I was helping to clean it up, and I wanted to explain to the table why it would be late.”  
Jake nodded, locking eyes with Will behind me, “Of all the nights to run into him.”  
I took Jake’s hand in mine. “It’s okay. I’m okay. This is our night. He won’t ruin it.” I pressed a kiss to his cheek. “However, I still need to pee.” He chuckled and walked me to the bathroom and then back to the patio.  
Vega came up to me as we walked back in, “Hey, I think it’s time for the bouquet toss.”  
I grinned, “Skye doesn’t know the plan, right?” I grabbed my origami bouquet made from book pages. The only type of flowers I could stand the sight of anymore. “Jake, find Clint.” He gave me a goofy salute and ventured off.  
Vega smiled, “I think it’s sweet that you’re doing this for him.” She walked with me to the small stage in the front.  
“For them.” I whispered before I turned to the room. “Everybody! It’s time for the bouquet toss!” I saw Clint and Jake off to the side, giving them a subtle wink. The Hellcats team, Vega, Rosa, and Skye all came out, but as I turned around to ‘throw’ the bouquet, all the girls stepped away from Skye. I turned back around, a grin on my face, walked down and put the bouquet in her hands.  
Skye looked confused, “What’s going on?”  
Clint stepped out beside me, dropping to one knee and pulling a ring box from his suit pocket. “Sorry to surprise you like this, sweetheart. Trai helped me plan how to do this.” Skye looked at me with tears in her eyes and we shared a smile before she looked back at Clint. “The first night we met, you were on a date with someone else, and within the first week of our friendship, we were a life or death mission to find Trai. And even though we rode that roller coaster, it took us a while to focus on what either of us wanted. As I got to know you, I saw what an incredible person you are. You’re smart, and strong, and caring, and charismatic. You would go to the ends of the earth for pretty much anyone in this room, and you have proven that time and again. But now, right here, I want to tell you what I want. I want to tell you that all I want is you. Forever. Will you marry me?”  
Skye was shaking as he held her hand, she looked at me, and then at Jake, before finally looking Clint in the eye. “Yes.”  
“Yes?” He smiled.  
“Of course, yes!” He slipped the small band on her finger before jumping to his feet and spinning her around.  
“Woo! Those are my best friends!” I cheered, clapping my hands.  
As everyone cheered, Vega took it upon herself to instruct the deejay what songs to play. I noticed a man standing at the entrance to the patio. Jake followed my gaze, “Who’s that?”  
The man walked over to us, “Mister Scofield? Is something wrong?”  
He shook his head, “No, ma’am. I merely wanted to offer my congratulations to your husband as well. And to apologize. After you left, my son, with some prompting, explained to me why you looked familiar. I wanted to let you know that his behavior is not how our family operates.”  
“Oh,” I was a bit taken aback. The only time I had met his father was when we had to meet in the principal’s office to serve the protection order since I refused to take Will to court and press charges, and my uncle explained that Will would need to change schools or he would press the charges himself. “You don’t need to apologize for your son’s behavior. I’ve dealt with worse, and I’ve long moved past it, with the help of this man, right here.” I held Jake’s hand.  
Mister Scofield offered us a smile. “Yes, I quite imagine with someone by your side it made it easier. I also wanted to return this.” He held out the credit card I had left with the waiter. “I appreciate you offering to pay for our meal, but I cannot accept it. However, there is one other thing. I have friends in the recording business, and I was wondering if I could get the contact information for the band you had performing earlier this evening.”  
Jake went wide eyed as Vega glided over to us. “Hey, what’s happening over here?” She offered Mister Scofield a smile, but she clearly wondered whether she should be concerned.  
Before either of them could reply, my dad came up. “Hey sweetheart, who’s this?”  
“Mister Alan Scofield.” I watched my dad freeze at the name as the man in front of him extended a hand. He noticed, too. “I see, you must remember my son. I apologize sir, I didn’t come here to cause trouble. Your daughter accidentally ran into our waiter earlier and knocked our food over. She offered to pay for our meal, and I simply wanted to return her card because I cannot accept it. And then I was inquiring about the band that performed.”  
My dad looked him up and down, “My daughter’s band?”  
Mister Scofield looked surprised for a moment before he schooled his features back into place. “I hadn’t realized who it was. I was just asking her for their contact information.”  
My dad looked at me and I nodded. He cleared his throat, “Well, I’m sorry. The maid of honor is the band’s manager. I will give her your information if you like, but this is my daughter’s big day, so I’d like it if she could focus on that for the evening if you don’t mind.”  
“Of course not, I’ll take my leave.” He held out a business card to my dad, “Give this to their manager and she can contact me at her earliest convenience.” He bowed his head to us and made his way out the door.  
My dad looked down at the card, “I don’t know how I feel about this, but it’s your decision, so I’ll pass this on to Skye.” He turned away without another word, finding Skye on the dance floor.  
“I think I’m gonna step outside for a smoke.” I sighed. “This is a lot.”  
“I’ll come with you.” I turned to see Clint behind me.  
Jake nodded, “Keep an eye on her.” His face was serious even as I waved him off.  
“I’ll be fine.” I assured him, but I saw Clint give him a nod. Jake gave me a kiss before slipping his jacket back over my shoulders and pushing me toward the door.  
Jake smiled, “We have to cut the cake when you get back.”  
The air was chillier as the sky was darkening, and I hugged Jake’s jacket closer around my shoulders. He had tucked my cigarettes into the inside pocket, and I smiled to myself as I pulled them out. I looked at Clint. “I didn’t know you smoked.”  
He shrugged. “I don’t. But we both know Jake would want someone out here with you, and I needed to get away from everyone congratulating us on the engagement for a minute.” He laughed to himself, and I laughed, too.  
“I’m glad it worked out for you two.” I took a long drag on my cigarette. I watched the small-town lights as the shops started closing up. I heard Clint’s voice.  
“How are you feeling? I mean, considering you found another rose.”  
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I think I’ve fallen numb to that. All I feel right now is happiness. Jake and I got married. I spent years pretending I didn’t love him when I didn’t have to, and now I get to spend my entire life showing him that I do. And if someway, somehow, that rose is Raiden coming back, and I have to endure that all again, at least I’ll be doing it without any regrets.”  
Clint gave me a quick hug. “You’re a very brave person. You know that?” We shared a smile as I put out my cigarette and went back into the reception.

  
_**Two years earlier...** _   
_I walked into the sterile room; my uncle close behind me. There weren’t steel doors along the wall like on tv. There was one metal door, like the walk-in freezer in restaurant kitchens. Uncle Frank patted my upper arm, avoiding my shoulder. “Are you sure you want to do this, kiddo?”_   
_I nodded. “I need to be sure.” I stood back as the coroner opened the metal door, pulling a sheet covered gurney out. He folded the sheet down, revealing the face. His eyes were open. Blue. “What the hell?”_   
_“What is it, Trai?” Uncle Frank was next to me._   
_“Raiden...he had green eyes.” I stared into the dead eyes of the man in front of me. “It looks like him, but the eyes aren’t right.”_   
_Uncle Frank suppressed a shudder. “Did you see his eyes the day it happened? Maybe he had been wearing green contacts and forgot to put them in.”_   
_“Maybe...” I couldn’t tear myself away from the blue eyes. “I can’t remember what I saw that day.”_

**Now...**  
I sat bolt upright, sweat pouring down my face. My breath came in gulps for air as my eyes adjusted to their surroundings. No blue eyes. No green eyes. I was home, in our apartment above the bar. Jake stirred next to me, propping up in his elbow. “Baby, baby, what’s going on? Are you okay?”  
I pushed my sweat soaked hair out of my face, “Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay. Just a nightmare. Go back to sleep, baby.” But instead he sat up with me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders, placing a gentle kiss on the bullet scar.  
“No, babe. I’m here for you. All the time. Just tell me what you need.” He looked into my exhausted face. “Want to put on some tv and just cuddle til you fall back to sleep?”  
I gave him a grateful smile. “What did I do to deserve you?”  
He tilted my chin up and gave me a kiss. “Everything. And we scheduled our honeymoon to coincide with spring break this week, so when we leave tomorrow, you’ll have time to figure out what you want to do about everything.” He reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the remote, flipping on a show we’d seen a thousand times over but still laughed at. “Come here, babe.” He laid back onto the pillows, opening his arms and I curled up in them. “Do you want to talk about the dream?”  
I took a deep breath. “Same one every time.”  
“The blue eyes?” His voice sounded far away.  
I nodded. “Yeah. I just wish I knew. Maybe Uncle Frank was right. But that flower...”  
“Hey, listen to me.” Jake leaned over to look into my face, “No matter what happens, I’ll be there. Nothing will stop me from being with you, and nothing will get in the way of our future together. I love you. So much. Okay?”  
I kissed him softly. “Okay. I love you, too.” I pulled him into another kiss and trailed them down his neck.  
“Babe, do you really wanna do this right now?”  
I smirked at him, “It would help me sleep.”  
He chuckled. “And you need to be able to get back to sleep. What kind of husband would I be to say no?”  
The next morning, I woke up to the sun filtering in through the curtains. I pulled the blanket up to my chest and rolled over. The space beside me was empty. I opened my eyes. I was alone. “Jake?” I called out. No response. My heart started pounding. “Jake!” My eyes started to water as I got up, throwing on my pajamas and opening the bedroom door. “JAKE!”  
The bathroom door flew open, and he came barreling out, “Baby, baby, I’m here.” I threw my arms around him. “I’m here. Are you okay?”  
I buried my face in his shoulder. “I just woke up and when I couldn’t find you, I thought...”  
“It’s okay, Trai. I’m sorry. It’s okay. I’m here. I thought you would’ve slept a few more hours.” His wet hand ran through my hair, calming me.  
“I’m sorry, Jake. God, I’m a mess.”  
“No, baby. You aren’t. And this isn’t your fault.” He held me tighter.  
“You don’t deserve this kind of life.” I muttered softly. “You shouldn’t have to deal with this.”  
Suddenly, he held me at arm’s length, looking me in the eyes. “Don’t you say that. As long as I get to hold you in my arms, my life has the greatest blessing it could ever have. I’ll take all of this if it means that I get to look into your beautiful hazel eyes and tell you that I love you every day.” He pulled me back into him, hugging me tightly. “I love you, Frito. Forever.”  
“I love you, too, Jake and Bake.” I pulled back, wiping my eyes and gave him a smile, “I’m sorry. Go finish your shower. I need to finish packing our bags for tonight.”  
“You sure you’ll be okay, babe?” He watched me.  
“Yeah. Just...maybe leave the door open so I can talk to you.”  
He smiled. “Of course.” He gave me one more kiss before heading back to the bathroom.  
I walked back to our room, slowly folding t shirts as I listened to him singing. My mind wandered, thinking of how peaceful our life together had been the last couple years. He had insisted that we celebrate the anniversary of our first kiss. And the anniversary of our second kiss that led to our relationship. Because of course he would know the exact dates. He stayed with me with the entire time I was in the hospital. And while I was at home healing. The only time we really spent apart was when we went to work or separate classes, and when Skye insisted she help me with the wedding plans to surprise him. But he helped me plan with Clint for the proposal. I smiled to myself as I called out to him, “Hey, Jake?”  
“Yeah, babe, I’m here. What’s up?” I heard the shower turn off and the stall door open.  
“You ever think about how far we’ve come?” I asked as I folded up the last pair of jeans and stuck them in the suitcase. He walked into the bedroom, not even a towel on, and I couldn’t help but laugh.  
“Sure, I do.” He grinned. “If someone had asked me even years ago who I wanted to spend my life with, I would’ve said you without a second thought. But if someone asked me who I thought would actually spend their life with me? I probably never would’ve guessed you in my wildest dreams.” He grabbed the only pair of jeans I left in his dresser, slipping them on over his boxers, he took my hand and pulled me toward him, “But you were always my dream. So, I spend every day thinking about what led us here.”  
I grinned up at him, brushing my nose against his as he leaned down. “You are such a romantic, you know that?”  
He kissed the tip of my nose. “Maybe. But you love it.” He winked as he let me go. “But, onto more important business.” His face was serious. “Are you excited to go to the highlands?”  
I laughed again. “As long as you’re with me. I can’t believe you agreed to go there for our honeymoon.”  
He shrugged, “You’ve been talking about going there since we were, like, six. Ever since you saw the pictures my aunt took. Of course, I was gonna say yes.”  
I stopped packing and looked at him. “Isn’t there someplace you’d rather go?”  
He shook his head, smiling softly at me. “Naw. Hell, I’d be happy spending the week at home as long as it meant spending it with you.”  
I pulled him into another hug. “You’re too good to me.”  
“Not possible.” He kissed the top of my head. There was a knock at the door. “That must be Skye to come pick up Malfoy.” He nodded at my dracaena succulent plant before heading to open the door. I could hear him from the room. “No, wait, who the hell are you?”  
I couldn’t hear the response.  
“No, I’m not letting you anywhere near her. Get the hell out.”  
There was a loud thud.  
“Trai! Get out of here!”  
“Jake!” I started out the bedroom door.  
“I’m fine. Go!” I felt tears prickling my eyes, but I obeyed. I ran to the bedroom window, climbing out onto the fire escape. But I didn’t go down. I went up. The spaces between the buildings were close enough together that when I climbed up to the roof, I was able to jump to the next building. And the next. And the next. The air hung thick with mist from the rainy morning as I fished my phone out of my pocket, dialing a number I had dialed hundreds of times in the last few years.  
“Uncle Frank!”  
“Whoa, kiddo, you sound out of breath. What’s happening?”  
“You need to get to my apartment!” I whisper shouted into the phone as I hid behind the generator on the last roof. “I think someone attacked Jake.”  
“Where are you?”  
“He...he yelled at me to run. Oh gods...I-I left him there! How could I do that?” The tears were coming stronger.  
“Listen to me, you did the right thing. I’m on my way there now. Stay hidden until you hear from me.”  
He hung up before I could reply. I curled my knees up to my chest. I left him there. I loved Jake more than I cared about breathing but I left him there. I hugged my knees, crying as I wondered what was happening to Jake. I lost track of time until my phone started vibrating in my hand.  
“Uncle Frank!” I answered the call.  
“Nope. Guess again.”  
“No. It can’t be you. I saw your body.”  
“No. Sadly that was my brother. I healed after your foolish little boy toy shot me. I made my brother take my place.”  
“You...you killed your own brother?”  
“Oh, my dear, sweet Trai, he’s not the first one I’ve killed to be with you. And he won’t be the last.”  
I stood up, looking around, “Where are you? What have you done to Jake and Uncle Frank?”  
“Oh, I haven’t done anything with them. Yet. You see, you are bound by fate to be with me. I knew it the moment I saw you. And I’ve been a very patient man. I will not wait much longer.”  
“Just...just let them go and you can take me.”  
He clicked his tongue. “Now, now, lying is not an attractive feature. We both know that as long as Jacob is alive, you will never truly leave him in your past.”  
“Raiden...please, you don’t need to hurt him.”  
“Oh, I won’t. I promise you; he won’t feel a thing.” The call ended.  
I ran as fast as my feet would take me back to our apartment. The coffee table in the living room was shattered and shelves were knocked down. As I sat on the floor, looking at the mess around me, the front door opened. I jumped into a fighter’s stance, ready to take on who came through. I didn’t expect it to be Skye.  
“Hey! I’m here to pick up Malfoy.” She froze, looking around, “Frito, what the hell happened here?” I continued crying as she pulled me into her arms. “Trai, where’s Jake?”  
I answered between sobs. “Raiden...he took them...”

**_Twelve years earlier..._ **   
_I sat between Jake and Uncle Frank in the wooden seats to the arena, Skye and Vega looking on in awe on Uncle Frank’s other side. The elephants and acrobats had just exited, and the ring master was announcing the next act. I looked at Uncle Frank with uncertainty. He smiled down at me, “Don’t worry princess,” he chuckled as he balanced my cousin in his lap, “I promise there are no clowns.”_   
_I smiled back at him, my front tooth missing from a run in with a bully, and I focused on the ring master._   
_“Today, we bring you the lords of the raging inferno. The masters of the magma. The aficionados of fire. The Boys of the Phoenix!” A wall of fire erupted in front of the ring master and three teenage boys danced through it, twirling fire sticks over their heads. The boy with green eyes locked his gaze on mine, approaching slowly as he spit fire into the air. I couldn’t look away, even as Jake’s grip on my shoulders tightened and he hid his face behind my back. The boy came closer, holding out his hand and calling me to join him. I looked back at Jake, shaking my head. I couldn’t leave him. The boy’s smile looked forced as he nodded and continued his dance. His eyes followed me._

**Now...**  
Skye squeezed her arms around me, rubbing slow circles in my back as our parents and friends came streaming into our apartment. Vega had been the first, spending a painstaking amount of time observing all the damage. She was silent, just examining the broken glass and splintered wood, and I couldn’t bring myself to look at it. My parents immediately went to work cleaning the rest of the apartment while Jake and Skye’s parents started cooking for everyone, anything to keep their minds busy. They didn’t think I noticed all the glances. Whenever I looked up, they’d all look away. They kept saying it wasn’t my fault, just over and over again. ‘But if it wasn’t my fault, then who’s was it?’ I kept thinking.  
“I need air.” I finally said after what felt like hours of quiet. Clint was on his feet in less than a second.  
“Then let’s go.” He said matter-of-factly, holding the door open so he could follow me outside. The air was crisp and somehow felt heavier outside.  
“I could’ve been there, you know.” I said softly. “I could’ve stopped him before he got Jake. Jake told me to run but I shouldn’t have-“  
“Stop.” Clint stated. “If you had stayed, and Raiden got you, Jake would’ve tried to stop him and then he’d probably already be dead. He’s alive, and we’ll get him back.”  
I opened my mouth to say something but was cut short when my phone rang. The name flashing across the screen. Jake. “Oh, dear gods...” Clint nodded at me and I clicked the answer button, putting it on speaker. “H-hello?” I didn’t expect the voice that answered.  
“Frito...” Jake’s voice.  
“Jake? What’s happening? Where did he take you?”  
“Baby...I don’t have a lot of time. He’s watching the phone call. I can’t tell you where I am, especially since I know you’ll come if I tell you. Remember when we were kids? There was that older kid that kept bullying me?”  
“What? Jake, we don’t need to talk about-“  
“Just listen to me, Frito. You were always the protector. My protector. And when we were kids, I never thanked you. Do you remember the bully?”  
I could feel the tears slipping down my face. “Yeah. I remember. He took the Human Torch action figure I gave you for Hanukkah, and he kept pushing you when you would try to get it back.”  
“Do you remember what you said to him?”  
My lip quivered even as it curved into a small smile. “I said if he messed with one of the Fantastic Four then he messed with all of them.”  
“Yeah. And then you charged at him.” Jake laughed but it sounded pained. “He slammed you into the swing set and you lost your front tooth, but that didn’t stop you. You kept going after him until he finally gave me back the toy and left. And all you got for that was me getting mad and not talking to you for a week.”  
“I remember...” I replied softly. “You were mad that I fought your battle for you.”  
“It was dumb. Feeling like just because I was the boy in our little group that I had to be the strongest. But even after I yelled at you, when I realized how stupid I was being, you welcomed me back with a hug and acted like the fight never happened.”  
I wiped the tears from my cheeks as I thought back. “I wasn’t going to throw away our friendship over it. And look at us now?” I chuckled weakly. “If I hadn’t gotten over it, we would never have gotten married. But you’d be safe...”  
“No. Trai, don’t you dare think like that. I told you, as long as I get to tell you I love you, all of this is worth it.” He coughed, “Listen to me,” He was quiet for a minute, and I could hear the wind and birds in the air. “No matter what happens, I wouldn’t trade the life I’ve had with you for anything.”  
“Jake, no, you are not telling me goodbye.”  
“Never,” I could hear the smirk in his voice, “This is just a see you later. Maybe, if things go south, I’ll find you again in the next life and we’ll get more time together.”  
“Jake, you don’t believe in reincarnation.” My voice sounded broken.  
“No...but you do. We’ve had that argument a few times. You always had a mind that couldn’t be matched.” He laughed roughly, “The first time was at Circuit Boards, right?”  
“Jake, it-“  
“I need to go. Know that I love you.”  
The call ended, and before I had time to react, another call came in. Uncle Frank.  
I clicked the answer button immediately, “Uncle Frank?”  
“Hey, kiddo.” He sounded so tired. “I don’t have a lot of time. He told us we had ten minutes together and I gave most of that time to Jake so you could hear his voice. I need you to tell your mom and dad that I’m sorry. I promised your dad that this would be over. That this was over. But I messed up.”  
“Uncle Frank-“ I choked back a sob. “Please-“  
“Don’t cry, princess. Give Meredith my love, I know she’s busy with that internship of hers, but please. I must go. I love you.”  
The call ended. Out of frustration, I threw my phone. It skidded across the damp sidewalk, coming to a stop just at the curb. Clint silently walked over, scooping it up, drying it with his sleeve, but when he turned around, I was gone.

**_Four years earlier..._ **   
_I sat, leaning into Jake’s shoulder, watching the stars overhead through the torn holes in the building. He was humming softly, absentmindedly brushing his fingers through my hair. His phone rang for the seventh time, Melanie’s name flashing across the screen._   
_“Aren’t you going to talk to her?” I asked, not looking away from the sky. “She probably won’t be happy that you ignored her when she wants to get back together.”_   
_Jake ignored the call and the question. “Do you think Buddhists are onto anything with the whole rebirth thinking?”_   
_I bit back a laugh. “I don’t know. I don’t know if I believe in reincarnation or not, but it’s a nice thought. Even when this life ends, there could still be more. Like, in a past life we could’ve been strangers.”_   
_“Or married.” Jake said with a slight smile._   
_“Yeah,” I laughed to myself, “Or married. What about you? Do you believe in it?”_   
_Jake hummed for a moment. “I don’t think I do.”_   
_I laughed again. “Then why’d you bring it up?”_   
_He shrugged with the shoulder I wasn’t leaning on. “It just popped into my head. People believe in soul mates, but I feel like the only way to believe in them would be to believe in reincarnation, too.”_   
_“So, you don’t believe in soul mates either?” I asked skeptically, turning my head to look at him._   
_He smirked at me, “I don’t know. Maybe I’m starting to.” Before I could ask him what he meant, he directed my attention back to the sky, pointing out the constellations he learned in his astronomy class._

**Now...**  
I finally stopped running when the old building came into view. The sign out front was falling apart, but most of the letters were still in place. ‘Saint Dymphna’s Medical Ward’. “Come on, Jake. I know you said the wrong place on purpose. Please be here.” I muttered under my breath as I approached the side door. I had been here enough; I knew the way to get into the building. The door have been sealed shut for decades when the facility was closed, until some skater kids broke the glass on the door to ride through the halls. I ducked under the handle, crossing carefully over the shards. As I looked at them, a thought crossed my mind. I tucked my hands into my pockets and cautiously made my way down the hall. Stepping over cracked linoleum and fallen ceiling panels, I passed old patient rooms until I found my way to the nurse’s station. I stopped for a moment, looking up at the crest that hung on the wall. The motto wrapped around the patron saint, in mente autem omnia possibilia sunt’. “In the mind, all things are possible.” I muttered. “Weird motto for a mental ward.” I shook my head, glancing down at the scorch marks on the floor behind the desk. I remembered finding the old patient files with Jake. I convinced him that we should burn them for confidentiality since most of the patients had passed away since the facility closed. I bent down, running my fingers on the melted linoleum. I remembered crying that day. The first time Jake had brought me here, the night we talked about reincarnation, was right after I had been released from the hospital after my arms healed. It was the first time I had let myself actually feel anything about the whole ordeal, and Jake held me until the tears finally stopped. I stood up, following the path we had taken that day, and many times after.  
The floor was covered in crumpled panels, pipes having fallen, and medical carts that were left abandoned. My shoes had dried, so my steps through the decrepit building were silent as I walked. The dim sunlight that came through the clouds made the hall just visible enough to see where I stepped, but too dark to see very far ahead. After a few minutes of maneuvering, I finally came to the door I wanted. ‘Recreation Therapy’ carved into the decaying oak. The door was left opened, just a bit. I took a deep breath and pushed it the rest of the way.

**Elsewhere...**  
Clint ran back into the apartment. “We have a problem.”  
Lydia spun around, “Where’s Trai?” Her face held a look of confusion and worry, and though there was nothing accusatory in the question, Clint still felt guilty.  
“She got a phone call. First from Jake, then from Frank, and she threw her phone. I picked it up and when I turned around, she was gone.” Clint held up her phone. “It sounded like they were saying goodbye. Jake kept asking her if she remembered stuff, and Frank wanted her to tell you that he’s sorry.”  
Skye snatched the phone out of his hand. “The calls only lasted a few minutes each...”  
“Frank said that he only gave them ten minutes combined to make the calls.” Clint nodded grimly.  
Skye’s eyes watered. “It looks like he let Jake call her first and the call was more than half that time. He probably wanted to give them all the time he could.”  
Vega looked thoughtful. “Wait, you said Jake was asking her if she remembered stuff? Like what?”  
Clint looked confused, “Something about a bully that knocked her tooth out.”  
“Oh man, which time?” Skye laughed humorlessly for a second, “It’s just that she stepped in with bullies all the time for us. Getting her teeth knocked out was weirdly a regular occurrence.”  
Clint ran a hand down his face. “Something about how the kids stole a toy she gave him for Hanukkah.”  
“That was just before we saw the circus...” Vega muttered.  
“There was something else,” Clint continued, “He said something to her about reincarnation? Like, he said he’d see her in the next life, and when she mentioned he didn’t believe in that, he said something about the first time they talked about it at Circuit Boards. Looked like she was gonna argue with him before he hung up.”  
Skye gasped, “He was giving her a clue. He obviously chose the wrong place on purpose, knowing that she’d realize it.”  
Their parents all watched as they thought it over, Vega eventually broke the silence. “But where? Neither of them ever talked about stuff like that around us.” She turned to Skye, “He’s gotta be talking about one of those days where they would just disappear together.”  
Before Skye could reply, her phone rang. She answered the call on speaker, “Hello?”  
“Skye. It’s dad.” Skye looked over at her parents wide eyed before frantically looking around and realizing Jason wasn’t there. “Don’t freak out. I got a call from Frank, too. Probably why his call to Trai was so short. I can’t tell you where I’m going, he said that if I do then they’re all dead. Let me talk to mom.”  
Lydia hesitantly called out from the other side of the small apartment, “H-honey?”  
“Hey, Lyds. I’m sorry for doing this to you. I love you dearly and you’ve been through enough hell, but so has our girl and so has our son. I hope you can forgive me.”  
Lydia’s scared face melted into a steely resolve. “Jason, you do whatever you need to do to bring our babies back to us.”  
“You have my word. I love you, baby.” The call ended.  
Skye’s mom turned to Lydia, “How do you know he can end this safely?”  
Lydia’s face held a small, sad smile. “We never mentioned what his job was in the Marines, did we?”

**Saint Dymphna’s...**  
I could see three people as I slowly walked into the room, each of them were ratchet strapped to a chair, no way of wriggling loose. They didn’t seem to notice me as I crept along the wall, but I saw no sign of Raiden. The light coming through the torn-out ceiling showed each of their faces. I saw Jake. He was bruised up, with a black eye and a busted lip. I saw Uncle Frank. He was in better shape than Jake, with just a slight bruise on his cheekbone. The third man shocked me. Will. His face was the most beaten, with a clear broken nose even from a distance. They were muttering to themselves, to each other. I could hear snippets of their voices being carried across the large room.  
Suddenly, a door on the far side of the room flew open and I ducked behind a concrete pillar as a figure walked in. The sun hit his eyes and I knew who it was even before I heard him. “Traivon,” he called out in a sing song voice, “I know you’re there. I have cameras throughout the building, so I saw you enter.”  
I took a deep breath, stepping out from behind the pillar. “Yeah. I’m here.”  
Raiden’s smile made my stomach churn. “Ah, there’s my girl.”  
“She’s not-“ Jake started, but he was cut off when Raiden threw a punch into his stomach. I wanted to look away, but I forced my reflex aside and stared at him.  
“I’m not talking to you, Jacob. I am talking to Traivon.” Raiden smiled at me again. “Now, Traivon, my love, I’ve collected most of the men who have influenced your life.” He ran his hand through Jake’s hair. “We have the sweet and caring grunge musician.” He stopped and stepped on to Uncle Frank, brushing his thumb over his bruised cheekbone, “The heroic and valiant protector.” When his feet brought him over to Will, he didn’t reach out to touch him. He spit at his feet. “And the self-serving jock with a daddy complex. We almost have the full collection.”  
“Almost?” The question came out before I could stop it.  
Raiden turned to me with a smirk. “Of course, almost. We’re missing daddy dearest.”  
I took another deep breath, “Why do you need them?”  
“Oh, I don’t. You do.” The confusion must’ve been on my face, because Raiden sighed and continued. “You see, it’s come to my attention that these four men have had the most influence in making you who you are. The most influence in creating the woman I love. Jacob, the one who let you become affectionate but still feel like a protector. Frank, the one who let you become stronger but simultaneously feel safer. William, the one who let you become vulnerable but fierce and steadfast in your ability to handle your own problems without help. And Jason, the one who nurtured your sense of humor and raised you, bestowing you with his many life lessons and truths, while still caring for the wounded child underneath.” He casually walked around the chairs the men were strapped to.  
“What are you going to do?” I asked softly, for the first time since he walked in, I allowed myself to look at the others. Will looked absolutely terrified, his eye starting to swell shut. Jake was trying to look tough, but he was shaking. Uncle Frank was stoic. I had never seen him look so grim and serious.  
Raiden clicked his tongue. “Nothing. Not yet, at least.”  
“Trai, you need to leave.” Jake’s voice was unsteady.  
Uncle Frank turned to look at me the best he could, “Jake is right. You need to go.”  
Raiden looked at them, amused, and I was pulled from my thoughts when I heard Will’s voice. “Traivon, I know you don’t like me. You have no reason to. But I agree with them. You need to go.”  
The air felt like cement in my ears as it filled with Raiden’s laughter. “That is precious. All of them would rather you leave than try to save them.”  
I stepped toward Raiden. “It’s me you want, right?” I stepped over the crumpled floor, the fallen chairs, the destroyed ceiling, making my way across the large room, “The way I figure this, it can end one of two ways. You’ll either kill everyone here, or just the two of us. Am I right?”  
Raiden continued to smile as I got closer. “You know me well, my love. I haven’t quite decided how I want it to go yet.”  
I stopped walking just outside the circle of chairs, carefully pulling my hands out of my pockets as I cradled the glass shard. The sunlight was creeping further down the windows as the day grew longer, glinting off the shard in my hand. “So, if I were to just do this right now, that would kind of ruin your plan, wouldn’t it?”  
Raiden’s smile faltered for just a moment before he schooled a calm smirk onto his face. “Come now, Traivon, we both know you wouldn’t do that. I mean, really. I can understand that martyr attempt to save your abysmal uncle, but the other two?” Raiden smiled down at Jake and Will, “Did you know that Jake saw Will with you that night?”  
Jake’s face paled. But I nodded my head. “I do know.” Raiden’s smiled faded as I continued, “I’m guessing you think that whatever you say will crumble my resolve, it’s a mind game. But see, the thing is, I remember that night. At first it was bits and pieces, but I’ve managed to piece it together. I’ve long moved past the stage of forgiving Will. Not for his sake, but for my own.” I saw something glint out the window, but I kept my attention on Raiden, gripping the shard in my hand so tightly as I spoke that I could feel the blood pooling in my palm and trickling down. “I know that Jake saw us that night. I also know that he blames himself every day for not realizing what was happening so he could stop it. And I know that Will may not be the easiest person, and he would go out of his way to bother me. But something I’ve come to realize is that he can’t bring himself to process that night.” I turned to Will, completely ignoring Raiden seething behind him, “Isn’t that why you kept bothering me? It was your way of checking on me. And that’s okay.” I moved around the circle, Raiden kept his attention on me, and I just hoped I was right as I slowly led him to face away from the window. But I still wouldn’t look at him. He wanted my attention, so it was the last thing I wanted to give him. I looked down at the glass in my hand, red coating the usually clear shard, “Uncle Frank?”  
“Yeah, kiddo?” He met my eyes for a moment, he knew that if it came to it, I would end this.  
“I wanted to thank you. You’ve been like an extra father to me for my entire life, and you’ve spent so much time making me feel safe and cared for. I can’t imagine how much this will hurt you. And for that I’m sorry. You are truly a good man, and you don’t deserve to carry this hurt around with you.” I looked at Jake, “I will always love you, Jake. This marriage might’ve been short, but I’ll find you in the next life.” I finally turned my gaze to Raiden, clutching the shard in both hands. “Goodbye.” He lunged forward as I stabbed the shard into my abdomen. There was the sound of more glass shattering, and I felt something embed itself in my leg as Raiden fell at my feet. I staggered up, ignoring my uncle telling me to stop moving. I pulled the glass out, driving it into the side of Raiden’s neck. “I need to be sure.” It was all my brain could utter as I did it over, and over again.  
The door flew open a few minutes later. I had just managed to undo the straps holding Uncle Frank to his chair. My dad stood in the doorway; service rifle slung over his shoulder. He stood frozen for a moment, watching everything in front of him, before his eyes lit up like he’d been struck by lightning and he bolted across the space to us. “Trai! Frank!” He pulled his knife from his boot, slicing through the straps that held Jake and Will in their chairs, before finally kneeling next to me, looking my wounds over. “The bullet must have been through and through and got stuck in your leg.”  
A laugh bubbled up my throat as they all turned to stare at me, “I’m sorry,” I laughed as I continued, “I’m just sick of you guys shooting me.” Uncle Frank was the first to join me, and everyone else soon followed. After a few minutes, I nudged my dad, “Please. Check him. Make sure this is over.”  
My dad smiled sadly, “Even if the bullet to the heart didn’t kill him, I don’t think anyone can survive twenty something knife wounds to the carotid. I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner, sweetheart.”  
“Let’s...let’s...” My vision started to fade. I could see Jake talking to me, and I vaguely registered Will on the phone before it all went black.

**_Two years ago..._ **   
_A week ago, on the day I was discharged from the hospital, the doctor told me that more trauma to my body could result in its inability to heal itself properly. To my dismay, that meant I couldn’t go back to the Hellcats, though they still continued to accept me as a member of their family even after my initial hiatus. The same doctor had seen me after Will. The same doctor had seen me after the day in my room. This doctor knew what I had been through again and again. And as I sat on my bed, letting Jake change the gauze on my shoulder at his repeated insistence, the doctor’s words turned over and over again in my head._   
_‘Don’t be a hero. They want you alive more than they want you to save them.’_

**Now...**  
The beeping seemed to sharpen intensely as I felt my eyes flutter against the bright light. Doctor Castro stood in front of me, kneeling next to the bed. I could tell he was speaking, but the words were becoming gargled in my head. It seemed like he was repeating something, but I couldn’t be sure. I forced my eyes to look around the room. I saw Jake, my parents, Uncle Frank, even Will. Everyone was there, tears in their eyes as they looked at each other. Nobody was looking at me. I opened my mouth, forcing the words out, “Am I dead?”  
It was like a trance broke in the room, everyone turning at once to look at me. The doctor’s voice finally started to slip in, “Traivon, I have some news for you that might be difficult to hear.” Jake stepped closer and took my hand as the doctor continued, “When you pushed the glass into your abdomen, it caused some severe damage. It hadn’t been apparent at first, since you were running off the adrenaline, but the glass cut deep. You managed to nick your spinal cord, creating some nerve damage.”  
My voice was cracked and raspy, it was clear I had been asleep for a while, “What does that mean?”  
My father sat gingerly on the end of the bed, “Sweetheart, you won’t be able to walk. Maybe ever again.”  
I looked down at my hands as I processed this. I’m paralyzed. “Huh.” I said calmly, “This is a bad time to live in a walk-up apartment.” A snort echoed through the room and everyone turned to look at Vega covering her mouth. She stuttered out an apology, and I just smiled at her. “It’s okay, Vegas. What happened after I passed out?”  
My uncle’s face was torn between peace and sadness. “I sent Jake and your dad in the ambulance with you, and I stayed with Raiden’s body. I didn’t take my eyes off it from the time it left the building, even through the autopsy, until I watched it burn in the crematorium. He’s gone. And he’ll never come back.”  
“So that’s it then. It’s officially over?”  
Jake squeezed my hand, “It is. And in a few days, we’ll go home, and we’ll adjust to this new life together.” He pressed a shaky kiss to my temple. “We can still do everything we wanted to with our lives. We have all the time in the world.”  
Doctor Castro cleared his throat. “There is one more thing, a miracle in this situation really.”  
“What is it?” My dad asked, carefully looking between Jake and I before turning to the doctor.  
“It seems...well,” the doctor laughed a bit, “When we brought you in, we had a bit of trouble with checking for a heartbeat.”  
“Are you saying my wife died?” Jake asked, gently squeezing my hand.  
“No, no,” the doctor quickly continued, “The problem was that we found two.”  
The room was silent as my mom choked back a sob, I looked at the doctor in surprise, “Are-are you saying I’m-?”  
“Pregnant, Missus Gunderson. Only a few weeks, and the baby is stable even after the damage you’re body received.”  
I could feel the tears prick my eyes, and I slowly turned to look at Jake. His face ran through a few emotions, before settling a smile over his face. “A baby...” He looked at me with a face overflowing with happiness. “It’s over and we’re gonna have a baby.”  
“Our baby...”

**Eight months later...**  
Will held the door open to the recording studio as Jake pushed my chair in. He had taken that day in Saint Dymphna’s to heart, taking therapy and working with victims’ services to atone for our past. He silently stood by, a small smile on his face as I held the bundle close to my chest. Skye’s face lit up as she looked up from the sound board, “They’re here!” She yelled down the hall before running over to meet us. Vega came out with a few of the Hellcats and our parents, each of them carrying various foods and packages. “Time to welcome this beauty into the world the right way!” They didn’t seem to notice what Jake held in his arms.  
“Hi, everyone,” I smiled, “I want you all to meet Penelope Skye Gunderson.” Skye’s face started pouring with tears as she gently took the baby from my arms. “And this,” I turned to Jake and everyone realized for the first time what he held, “This is Franklin Jason Gunderson.”  
My mom’s voice cracked with tears, “Twins? My babies had twins.”


End file.
